The present invention relates, generally, to electrosurgical instruments and, more particularly, to an electrosurgical instrument capable of performing three basic surgical tasks: cutting, suctioning and coagulating.
Electrosurgical instruments such as those sold by Aspen Labs having a scalpel blade capable of operating as both a cutting device and a coagulating device are known in the art. As are electrosurgical coagulation suction tubes such as those sold by Edward Weck and Company, Inc. However, these devices do not include a suction device as an integral part of the instrument such that they are incapable of removing smoke, blood and other debris from the operation situs. As a result, use of the known instruments can impair the surgeon's vision, increasing the difficulty and risk of the surgical procedure.
To alleviate these problems, surgeons must employ a separate suction device while performing the surgical procedures. One shortcoming of using the separate suction device is that both of the surgeon's hands are then occupied, thereby increasing the difficulty of the procedure. Another shortcoming is that the use of a separate suction device makes the precise positioning of the surgical instruments more difficult and cumbersome. Therefore, a single surgical instrument capable of cutting, suctioning and coagulating is desired.